ARLINGTON, Va., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Communications, Inc. (HCI) today unveiled eTIPS for Gaming, an online training and certification program for casinos, riverboats, and gambling centers. TIPS is the premier alcohol training program aimed at preventing underage drinking, intoxication, and drunk driving. In late 2005, HCI released eTIPS for On Premise, which was designed specifically for bartenders and servers of alcohol. In 2007, HCI released eTIPS for Off Premise, which was designed specifically for grocery, convenience, liquor/wine, and package stores. eTIPS greatly expands the training options available for those who serve or sell alcohol, offering new flexibility in getting the benefits of TIPS training to the establishments that need them. eTIPS training is a self-paced, innovative approach to alcohol training. The course allows alcohol servers and sellers to obtain the training anywhere, anytime.

eTIPS for Gaming teaches casino personnel how to recognize when a guest is intoxicated or underage. In addition to preventing the illegal sale of alcohol, casino employees learn how to determine the difference between a patron who is having a good time and one who has had too much. The course teaches employees how to handle people who have had too much and keep them from harming themselves, the property, and others. Through thought-provoking video clips, eTIPS challenges casino employees to evaluate and re-evaluate the way they manage their customers.

"Promoting responsible consumption in a casino environment comes with its own set of challenges. It can be difficult to determine the difference between people enjoying themselves and those who may be getting into trouble with alcohol. By certifying their employees through eTIPS, casinos are proactively taking measures to prevent underage sales and intoxication. In addition, establishments will improve customer service and demonstrate to the communities that they are in the forefront when it comes to preventing the misuse of alcohol," remarked Adam Chafetz, President and CEO of Health Communications.

In 26 years, HCI has certified over 3 million servers worldwide in the TIPS program. There are TIPS-certified people in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and over 30 foreign countries. TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) is a classroom-based training program that gives servers and sellers of alcohol the knowledge and confidence they need to recognize potential alcohol-related problems, and teaches them how to effectively intervene to prevent alcohol-related tragedies. With eTIPS, that quality training is now available both in the classroom and via the web. To learn more about eTIPS, visit http://www.gettips.com/eTIPS.shtml.

    Contact:    Trevor Estelle    703-524-1200 ext. 357    estellet@gettips.com    http://www.gettips.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Health Communications, Inc.